B.C. cyclist races to first win of the season in New Zealand

A professional Revelstoke mountain biker is off to a strong start this season.

Casey Brown won all six stages of the Pro Women’s Division in the Giant Toa Enduro Pro, the first event of the Crankworx Rotorua in Rotorua, New Zealand.

Brown was more than two minutes faster than the next competitior, Ronja Hill-Wright, of New Zealand. Canadian Vaea Verbeeck was third.

Brown overcame a few hurdles to win. She rode Stage Five blind and had a crash in Stage Six.

“I love racing without really knowing what’s coming up. It was exciting to say the least,” she said. “Then I had a pretty wild Stage Six. Me and Vaea had a pileup. That was exciting. These tracks are so great around here and the weather has been so good compared to last year. Beautiful cool breeze and overcast. Couldn’t ask for a better day. Super stoked.”

The win sets Brown up for a strong campaign to win Queen of the Crankworx, an aggregate title awarded at the end of the tour.

She earned 225 points for the win, the most points awarded for a victory in any Crankworx event (a downhill win is only worth 150 points).

In the second race of the event, a new downhill event in Rotorua, Brown finished second. She was just 0.23 seconds back from Canadian Verbeeck, who won the event in 3:32.19.

Brown remains in the lead for the hunt for the Crankworx crown with 325 points after the two races.

More Crankworx events continue through March 25 and Brown is signed up for all the Pro Women races.

At the end of the season, the King and Queen of Crankworx World Tour receive $20,000 CAD. First and second place overall riders receive $10,000 and $5,000 respectively.

Casey Brown races in the Giant Toa Enduro Pro event at the Crankworx Rotorua in New Zealand. She won the race in a commanding fashion, capturing the fastest time in all six stages to win by two minutes overall. (Fraser Britton/Crankworx 2018)